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(April 4, 2013 – Yuma, AZ) Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) is pleased to announce the completion of an innovative new hybrid operating room at the Heart Center of Yuma. The facility, which opens on April 8, offers Yuma-area residents the latest advances in treatment for cardiovascular disease. Surgical procedures performed in the new operating room will be enhanced by the use of state-of-the-art imaging technology.

The new facility combines the traditional diagnostic functions of a cath lab with the surgical functions of an operating room to enable surgeons to perform minimally invasive and open surgical procedures in the same room. It has been equipped with a state-of-the art imaging system by Philips. YRMC is one of only two medical centers in Arizona to install this highly advanced technology which is currently in use at only six hospitals in the southwest region, including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

"This new technology will enable us to perform procedures that are less invasive as well as procedures that previously couldn't be done in Yuma," explained Greg Titensor, RN, clinical director of the Heart Center of Yuma. "Our patients will now be able to receive the latest in care for vascular diseases without having to travel out of town." He added that the new technology will also make it easier for specialists to repair conditions such as abdominal aortic aneurysms.

"We now have the technology to improve these procedures," Titensor continued, "so when primary care physicians are referring their patients, they can be assured that we're using the latest and safest technologies to treat them." Local surgeons Drs. Henri Carter, George Deckey and Peter Cheung are among the specialists who will use the new facility. "They're very excited about it to say the least," he adds, "because the technology they'll have is just amazing."

The opening of the new hybrid operating room represents another significant milestone in YRMC's heart care services. The hospital has constructed three cath labs since 1999, and all three have recently been updated with the latest technology. The hospital began offering open heart surgery in 2004 with recruitment of Scottsdale cardiovascular surgeon Dr. James Moon, and a second cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Roberto Cervera was recruited one year ago. In addition, the Heart Center is now expanding its capacity for patient prep and recovery from 14 bays to 29 bays to meet the growing demand for cardiovascular procedures.

The design of the new hybrid operating room was a collaborative effort by professionals from a variety of disciplines, including physicians, healthcare architects, imaging providers and operating room design experts. They each shared their unique expertise to ensure that the new facility met exacting standards for excellence in patient treatment and care. "Cardiologists Dr. Khidir Osman and Dr. Joseph Cardenas and Dr. Moon all teamed up at the very beginning a couple of years ago and said, 'This is something we need to look at,' and now, here we are," Titensor states.

"We are very proud to be one of the first medical centers in Arizona to acquire this state-of-the-art imaging technology to provide patients with the latest advancements in the treatment of cardiovascular disease," said Pat Walz, CEO. "This will enable residents of the communities we serve to eliminate the time, expense and stress involved in traveling to another city for treatment and instead receive the care they need close to home, where they can be surrounded by family and friends."